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<festivals>
  <fest>
    <festival id="1">
      <date>1/14/2011</date>
      <name>Makara Sankranti</name>
      <description>Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan – sun's journey northwards. Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging and cooking of delicious Pongal.[1]. This day is coinciding with Makara Sankranti.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/sankranti.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="2">
      <date>3/12/2011</date>
      <name>Maha Shiva Ratri</name>
      <description>Maha Shivaratri is the great night of Shiva, followers of Shiva observe religious fasting and the offering of Bael (Bilva) leaves to the Shiva.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/shivaratri.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="3">
      <date>3/1/2011</date>
      <name>Holi</name>
      <description>Holi or Phagwah is a popular spring festival. Holi commemorates the slaying of the demoness Holika by Lord Vishnu's devotee Prahlad. Thus, the festival's name is derived from the Sanskrit words "Holika Dahanam", which literally mean "Holika's slaying".</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/holi.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="4">
      <date>3/24/2011</date>
      <name>Ugadi</name>
      <description>Ugadi (meaning "the start of an era" in Telugu and Kannada) is the New Year's Day for the Kannadigas and Telugus. It takes place on the same day as Gudi Padwa.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/ugadi.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="5">
      <date>3/30/2011</date>
      <name>Hanuman Jayanti</name>
      <description>Hanuman Jayanti is the celebration of the birth of Hanuman, Rama's loyal devotee.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/hanumanjayanthi.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="6">
      <date>7/25/2011</date>
      <name>Guru Purnima</name>
      <description>Guru Purnima is the day devotees offer puja (worship) to their Guru. This was also the day when Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata was born.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/gurupurnima.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="7">
      <date>3/24/2011</date>
      <name>Vara Lakshmi</name>
      <description>Vara Lakshmi puja is a special time when married ladies worship Lakshmi Devi, the consort of Vishnu and the embodiment of beauty, prosperity and wealth. The Vara Lakshmi puja is performed during the month of Shraavan (corresponding to August - September) on the Friday immediately following the full moon day (purnima). This festival is primarily followed within the south Indian community and is performed by married ladies to ensure wealth, good progeny, good health, and long life for their husbands.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/Vara-Lakshmi.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="8">
      <date>9/2/2011</date>
      <name>Janmasthami</name>
      <description>Krishna Janmaashtami is the Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna. It is actually called as Krishna Jayanthi. The date falls not only on the eight day of the waning moon, but always on Rohini Nakshatra.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/Janmasthami.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="9">
      <date>3/30/2011</date>
      <name>Shraaddha/Pitri Paksha</name>
      <description>Shraaddha is a Sanskrit word which literally means "based on faith." A shraaddha therefore is a ritual based on faith. Of course, all rituals are shraaddhas in the widest sense of the term, but specifically a shraaddha denotes a ritual performed to pay homage to one’s deceased ancestors (pitri), and especially to one’s deceased parents during the dark fortnight (krishna paksha) of the month of Bhadrapada (September/October). For this reason the dark fortnight of this month is also called the Pitri Paksha. Performing a shraadha is a way of expressing one’s gratitude and thanks to parents and ancestors. The shraaddha period lasts for two weeks and includes every lunar day (tithi) as well as a new and full moon. In other words, it covers all the possible lunar times when a person could pass away. This means if an ancestor had passed away on the 4th lunar day of any month, whether waxing or waning, that person’s shraaddha could be observed on the 4th lunar day of the pitri paksha period. If the person passed away on the 8th lunar day of any month, his shraadha would be observed on the 8th lunar day of the pitri paksha period, and so on. The rituals used to observed a shraadha will involve the pouring of water, a sacred fire (havan) and the feeding of priests and other honored guests in one’s home.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/Shraaddha.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="10">
      <date>10/8/2011</date>
      <name>Nava Ratri</name>
      <description>Nava means "nine" and "ratri" means "night," so the Nava Ratris is a festival held for nine nights. There are two Nava Ratris cycles in each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The spring Nava Ratris occur during the first nine lunar nights of the bright fortnight of the month of Chaitra. This corresponds to March-April on the Western calendar. The fall Nava Ratris occur during the first nine lunar nights of the bright fortnight of the month of Aasvini. This corresponds to September/October on the Western calendar. The fall Nava Ratris are more popular, but both Nava Ratris are a time of fasting, purification and spiritual renewal. Traditionally, the Nava Ratris are an auspicious time for starting new ventures such as moving into a new home or starting a business. The fall time Nava Ratris especially focus on the worship of Devi in all her forms. Here is a nice interpretation of the fall season Nava Ratris. The nine nights are divided into three sets of three nights each to adore three different aspects of the Goddess. On the first three nights the Goddess Durga is invoked as a spiritual force to destroy all impurities, vices and defects. On the second set of three nights the Goddess Lakshmi is adored as the giver of spiritual wealth. The final set of three nights is spent in worship of the Goddess Sarasvati, who is the embodiment of wisdom. In order to have full success in life, believers seek the blessings of all three aspects of the Goddess, who first destroys impurities from the heart, then endows the worshipper with spiritual powers, and finally gives the maturity of wisdom to know how to employ these great powers. Hence the nine nights of worship. Most common of all is the traditional Ras Garba dances that are performed during these Nava Ratris, This dance is traditionally a Gujarati custom, but it is quickly becoming the main focus of the Nava Ratri celebrations in the West.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/Nava-Ratri.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="11">
      <date>3/30/2011</date>
      <name>Durgashtami</name>
      <description>"Durga" refers to the Goddess Durga and "asthami" means 8th. Thus Durgasthami is the worship of the Goddess Durga Devi on the 8th lunar day during both the spring time and fall time Nava Ratris. Naturally, Durgasthami is always celebrated on the 8th day of the 9 night Nava Ratri festival. Commonly a special havan or fire worship ceremony is performed on that day. This is the day when Durgadevi killed the great buffalo demon, Mahishasura.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/durgastami.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="12">
      <date>10/17/2011</date>
      <name>Vijaya Dashami</name>
      <description>Also known as Dussehra, Vijaya Dashami is the celebration of Rama’s victory over the demon Ravana. The story of Rama’s killing of Ravana is found in the Ramayana. Vijaya means victory and dashami means tenth and so Vijaya Dashami is the victory on the 10th lunar day. If the Nava Ratris are a time of purification and the attainment of spiritual powers and wisdom, the Vijaya Dashami celebration, which follows the day after the last Nava Ratri in the fall is the culmination of that time of purification with the final conquering of evil symbolized by Rama’s killing of Ravana. Commonly an effigy of Ravana is burnt when a flaming arrow is shot into Ravana’s heart by a devotee dressed up like Rama.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/Vijaya-Dashami.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="13">
      <date>11/5/2011</date>
      <name>Diwali</name>
      <description>Deepavali which means "row of lights/lamps" is called "Divali" in North India, Deepa means lamp and in Hindi a lamp is mostly called a Diya or Di. The festival is celebrated on the occasion of Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama killing a demon Narakasura. Another story says the festival is celebrated for the return of Rama and Sita to the kingdom Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/Diwali.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="14">
      <date>3/30/2011</date>
      <name>Annakuta</name>
      <description>Annakuta generally takes place the day following Diwali. "Anna" means food and kuta means a "mound," so literally Annakuta is a "mound of food." The festival is celebrated in temples as members bring food offerings that are added to a growing number of dishes used to decorate an altar. Sometimes the festival is connected to another festival called Govardhana Puja, which celebrates the day Shri Krishna lifted the mountain known as Govardhana. In this case the great "mound of food" becomes Govardhana mountain. Usually the festival includes a Krishna puja, bhajanas, a telling of the story of Krishan lifting Govardhan mountain and arati.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/annkuta.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="15">
      <date>3/30/2011</date>
      <name>Lakshmi /Chopra Puja </name>
      <description>Lakshmi puja is celebrated as part of the Diwali festival and is similar to Vara Lakshmi puja except that it is celebrated by all devotees and not just married ladies. Lakshmi Devi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, and so it is common for devotees to perform Lakshmi puja with gold or silver coins, jewelry, or a small sacred image of Lakshmi as the Goddess Lakshmi herself. Milk, yogurt, honey, ghee, sugar (panchamrita) and other liquids are liberally poured over the coins, jewelry or murti in an elaboarate bathing ceremony of Lakshmi Devi. There is a related puja that is performed by business people at this time called Chopra Puja. Chopra refers to "business books," and so during this season business people bring their check-books or even laptop computers to a priest to have Lakshmidevi worshipped over their business books. Sometimes we think of the time of the year from Janmasthami until Diwali as puja season because many important festivals that include Ganesha Chaturthi, Shraaddha, the Nava Ratris, Vijaya Dashami, and Lakshmi puja cluster between these months. Ekadashi "Eka" means one and "dasha" means ten, therefore, eka + dasha= eleven. Eleven refers to the 11th lunar day of both the waxing and waning lunar month. Thus there are two ekadashis each month. Generally these days are observed as fasting days and they are observed by the most pious twice a month throughout the year as a day of prayer and meditation. Each of the ekadashis has a separate name. The two most common ekadashis are the vaikuntha ekadashi (celebrated in December/January) which is a famous Balaji festival, and the nirjala ekadashi. Nirjala means "without water" and so this ekadashi is ideally followed by total fasting including not even the taking of water. It is said that if one can follow just one ekadashi in the year this should be the one. Other pious Hindus may also fast on Mondays in honor of Shivaji or on Tuesdays in honor of Hanumanji.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/twitter.png</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="16">
      <date>3/30/2011</date>
      <name>Ekadashi </name>
      <description>"Eka" means one and "dasha" means ten, therefore, eka + dasha= eleven. Eleven refers to the 11th lunar day of both the waxing and waning lunar month. Thus there are two ekadashis each month. Generally these days are observed as fasting days and they are observed by the most pious twice a month throughout the year as a day of prayer and meditation. Each of the ekadashis has a separate name. The two most common ekadashis are the vaikuntha ekadashi (celebrated in December/January) which is a famous Balaji festival, and the nirjala ekadashi. Nirjala means "without water" and so this ekadashi is ideally followed by total fasting including not even the taking of water. It is said that if one can follow just one ekadashi in the year this should be the one. Other pious Hindus may also fast on Mondays in honor of Shivaji or on Tuesdays in honor of Hanumanji.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/Ekadashi.jpg</image>
    </festival>
    <festival id="17">
      <date>3/30/2011</date>
      <name>Kalyanam</name>
      <description>This is a particular type of puja that is most popular within the South Indian community. It is a divine wedding ceremony that is performed primarily on festival days. The word kalyana literally means "the beautiful" and what can be more beautiful than a divine wedding; hence the meaning of the term. Some examples of this ceremony include Rama Kalyanam, the wedding of Sita and Rama especially performed on the festival day of Rama Navami, another is the Shiva Kalyana the wedding of Shiva and his wives performed on Shiva Ratri and the Balaji Kalyana, the wedding of Balaji and his wives performed on important Balaji dates such as Vaikuntha ekadashi. Usually during the performance of a Kalyanam ceremony, two or more families get together and play the role of the bride's and groom's parents. A mandapa, the place where weddings are performed, is decorated and many of the mantras that are ordinarily recited in wedding are chanted. It is a enjoyable and exciting ceremony.</description>
      <image>/FestivalImages/twitter.png</image>
    </festival>
  </fest>
</festivals>